Customers DO notice

Vegans rocked by food photography scandal

And in case you don't want to read...a popular vegan magazine has been using stock photography shots (as many magazines do) in their spreads. Readers thought they were viewing photos of vegan meals, when in fact many of the photos were edited to remove evidence of animal products. Says VegNews:Basically, they're saying: we're cheapskates. Instead of hiring a pro, they opted to use online stock photography on the cheap and got busted by their reader base. Serves them right, IMHO.

But this should also serve as a lesson for us: don't cut corners. The old adage goes, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. This ordeal is a great opportunity for food photogs out there to get a foot in the door, because I'm sure VegNews will be looking to purchase authentic vegan food photography from now on. At least, they should be.

And on that note, CreativeLIVE is offering some food photography courses soon.

On a serious note:

My grandfather once asked, If you don't have time to do it right the first time, why do you always have time to do it over?

I have tried to live by that.

Just a thought.

Pete

Basically, they're saying: we're cheapskates. Instead of hiring a pro, they opted to use online stock photography on the cheap and got busted by their reader base.

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That was my take on it . . . glad they got busted!

If you don't have time to do it right the first time, why do you always have time to do it over?

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What great words to live by, Pete. Thanks for sharing.

The lack of integrity and loss of customers faith will cost them many times over the cost of hiring a pro.

"If you don't have time to do it right the first time, why do you always have time to do it over?"

Now THIS I love!! Excellent words of wisdom, Pete. Thanks for sharing.

Anthony Hereld said:

...because I'm sure VegNews will be looking to purchase authentic vegan food photography from now on. At least, they should be.

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I've been wrong before.

VegNews has issued a typical corporate apology (opens a PDF). In that statement, the company says they will "build and host a vegan photo bank to assure the availability of vegan stock images."

So in another effort to short-change photographers, they're going to start crowdsourcing photos and just have their reader base send in photos for the magazine. Unbelievable.

I have sent them an e-mail asking why Food Photographer is NOT in their list of jobs available at VegNews. Their reply, if any, should be interesting.

Pete

I'm guessing that they don't actually cook what they're putting in the magazine either. That's another expense that they probably do not want to incur. Maybe I'm wrong, but why would they go through the trouble of cooking things up and not hire a photographer?

On a side note, I really really want to be a photographer for top chef. He gets to eat the food all the time.

Gee, I could probably provide them a complete database of vegan food - all without driving more than half an hour in any given direction. We have at least 10 different restaurants within that radius who could help provide vegan food.

The truth is, most food photography isn't food at all. It's modeling clay that is airbrushed to look like food. That practice has been an industry standard for a long time.

My concern is that this publication used deception in the interest of saving a buck. My other concern is the rampant destruction stock websites have brought to this industry, and why photographers continue to support them. Well...I know why, but that's another story.